“It’s the mind itself which shapes the body”

I recently have re-discovered three things that I have used to help feel better- both mentally and physically. Pilates for fitness and wellbeing, My Fitbit for tracking steps and sleep and Headspace to help with mindfulness.

Pilates

I used to love going to Pilates as it is so good for improving your core and general wellbeing. I remember going with my mum for the first time when I was still at school and being so shocked at the core strength involved in some of the exercises. I find a lot of my clients have discovered Pilates and feel the benefits. I go to a Pure Gym one as it is just a £2 charge on the night with your (very cheap/ reasonable) membership. Bargain! Unfortunately, (and of course, my luck as I try to actually get into a routine) the Pilates instructor left this week and there isn’t a replacement at the moment. If they don’t get one soon, I will start looking for studios that offer Pilates as I really was starting to love it again. I would definitely recommend! I would love to do a course in the next year or so. I also really want to get Reiss into it as I have read some articles and listened to some podcasts of rugby players that enjoy it too. Joseph Pilates was all about finding a balance and I love how he refers to the link between physical and mental health. You only have to do a quick search on Joseph Pilates to find some inspirational quotes- which I love.

I have spoken about this previously as I got it for my birthday a year and a half ago. However, I did go through a phase where I stopped wearing it and I have got out the habit of using it for its actual purpose. I got my mum a lovely Fitbit Alta for mothers day. She is a nurse and I thought it would be interesting to see how many steps she does on a daily basis, and I know she has mentioned it before. This has motivated me the last few weeks to start wearing it again. My sleeping schedule is awful at the moment so I want to try and get into a better routine and not to go from one extreme to another with how active I am (one day hit about 3000 steps and drink a glass of water or hit my 12000 steps, 90 minutes active and drink 2 and a half litres of water). I know it is quite a stressy time as no two days are the same, but keeping something consistent will be beneficial. I am also going to make an effort of using the challenges

This App is free to download and you can get a real feel for it before you need to spend a penny. I am not sure if it is because people are starting to be a bit more vocal about their mental health in the media, but I do find a lot more people are trying meditating. I worked in a clinic with a lovely lady who offered Mindfulness Sessions and I was really intrigued by it. Yes, you have no control over certain things that occur on a daily basis, but you can control how you interpret it- which is so interesting. It does change your perspective on certain things. There is evidence of meditating helping with anxiety, sleep and depression, to name a few. I understand it can’t get rid of certain things, but I do think it is great that it is so easily accessible for everyone- and it is only literally a couple of minutes out of your day!

“You are only as young as your spine is flexible”

“You will feel better in ten sessions, look better in twenty sessions, and have a completely new body in thirty sessions”